I understand that Iris Natascha is a seedling of Iris Cantab x Cantab,
attributed to Van Eeden, Cantab appeared in a bed of I reticulata var
cyanea in the garden of E.A. Bowles near Myddelton house near London. so
far as I am aware only I reticulata is involved and I vartanii is not very
similar to Natascha anyway. Leonid Bondarenco offers a sibling to I
Natascha here http://www.litbulbgarden.com/catalogue4.php and I agree with
his experiance that Natascha is hard to maintain where I live.
There is a form of Iris reticulata found by Alan McMurtrie now being
marketed as "White Caucases", and it is more robust. it is pale blue
however- not white!
I understand that the white form of I vartanii is extinct (probably due to
over collecting), but I have a vague recollection of new forms being
discovered in small numbers, a few years ago, in secret locations.
Perter (UK)
On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 11:27 PM, Jim McKenney
<jamesamckenney@verizon.net>wrote:
> Sean, this brings back memories. Fifty years ago the old Peter de Jager
> company used to sell Iris vartanii 'Alba'. It was inexpensive, and I tried
> it several times. It bloomed so early that it was useless as a garden plant.
> For me, it was a very weak grower.
>
> Does anyone know if the reticulate iris cultivar 'Natascha' have Iris
> vartanii in its background?
>
> Jim McKenney
> Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7
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